Automatic stop mechanism for wool-combing machines.



H. R. WBSTWBLL. A, AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR WOOL GOMBING MACHINES.

"APILIOATION FILED MAR. 2, 1909.

Patented Dec.27, 1910.

flhl 1E @TA TENT Fllt,

HERBERT R. WESTVIELL, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC STOP MEGHANISM FDR WOOL-COMBING MACHINES.

crasse.

Application led March 2,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, lnnenu'r R. WEST- wnLL, citizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stop Mechanism for lVool-Combing Machines, of which the following is a specifieation.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in wool combing machines and the invention has for its object an improved automatic stop mechanism which is particularly applicable to machines of the Noble type and which is arranged to shift the drive belt, so as to positively stop the comb in event of the sliver 7 of wool becoming broken, thus precluding injury which would likely occur should the machine continue running, and preventing waste of wool.

With these and other objects in view that will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain Vconstructions and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and then point out the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a wool combing machine equippedwith my improved stop mechanism; and, Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the plunger depressed te release the detent.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the longitudinally disposed main shaft of the comb which is journaled in and extends between two standards 2 of the framework of the machine, and which carries the usual adjacent fixed and loose pulleys 3 and 1. A power belt 5 is arranged to be engaged with the fixed pulley 3 to effect the rotation of the shaft and is susceptible of being shifted from the fixed Vpulley to the loose pulley and vice versa,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

1909. Serial No. 480,842.

through the instrumentality of an ordinary forked shipper 6. The shipper is rigidly mounted upon a longitudinally extending shipper rod 7, which is mounted to slide in bearings 8 provided on the standards 2, and which is encircled by an expansion spring 9 that is interposed between an adjacent bearing 8 and a sliding collar 10 and normally tends to move the latter against a rigid collar 11 to slide the shipper rod longitudinally and shift the belt on to the loose pulley 4 to arrest the operation of the machine. Such sliding movement of the shipper rod, however, is prevented during the operation of the comb by means of a transversely disposed detent lever 12, the forward arm of which is adapted tc be seated in a groove 13 in the periphery of the sliding collar 10, to maintain such collar in spaced relation to the collar 11 against the main force of the spring. This detent lever is fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on the lower extremity of a vertically disposed bracket 1/-1 which is supported on a longitudinal brace 15 of the framework of the machine. The release of the detent lever is caused by my improved mechanism which will now be described.

The bracket 14 carries a spindle 16 which projects rearwardly above the rear end of the detent lever 12 and which has rotatably mounted thereon a hollow rock shaft or support 17.

18 designates a stud or post that extends radially upwardly from the rock shaft and that carries a trip member 20, the latter being crimped intermediate of its ends, as indicatedat 19, and having the crimped portion slidingly mounted on t-he post. A spring 21 encircles the post between the crimped portion and the rock shaft to yieldably support the former in spaced relation to the latter. During the operation of the comb when the sliver remains intact, the said trip member is arranged to be supported in a somewhat inclined position, so that its lower end is out of alinement with the rear arm of the detent lever 12 and its upper end is arranged out of the path of rotation of a cam 22 that is mounted upon the main shaft 1. In order to normally sustain the trip member in such position, 1 employ two hangers or supporting rods 23 outstanding from the rock shaft and terminating in eyes 23a, through which are movable substantially vertically disposed wire arms 2a thatare 5 formed at their lower extremities with curved l fingers 25, the fingers being supported in proximity to the funnel by the slivers of wool 26, as long as the latter remain intact or unbroken with the comb mechanism ruiming smoot-hly. Then supported by the slivers the arms 24 exert no pull upon the supporting rods Q3, and the latter are counterbalanced by means vof a counterpoising weight QS working on a threaded rod Q7 which projects outwardly from the rock shaft and oppositely to the rods 28.

1n the practical operation of the stop mechanism should one or both of the slivers 26 become severed, the corresponding arm 2a is no longer supported by such sliver, but depends from its supporting rod 28. This additional weight applied to the supporting rod is sufcient to effect the counterbalancing of the weight 2S and the threaded rod 27, and the rock shaft 17 is thus turned partially about the spindle so that the trip member 20 assumes the substantially vertical position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing. 1n this position the upper end of the trip member is arranged in the path of rotation of the cam 22 which impinges thereagainst and depresses the trip member against the compression of the spring 21 to project the lower end of the trip member against the rear end of the detent lever 12, thereby rocking the latter and lifting its opposite arm out of engagement with the groove 13, such action releasing the sliding collar 10, which then moves under the influence of the expansion spring 9 to eect the longitudinal movement of the shipper rod and shift the power belt on to the loose pulley to automatically and positively stop the operation of the comb.

For convenience the trip member Q() is provided at its upper end with a hinged section 29 that is adapted to be swung downwardly to prevent the cam 22 from actuating the trip member in the vertical position of the same and thus admitting of the machine being run when no wool is passing therethrough, as may be desirable for cleaning or the like.

1t is to be observed that in the present instance the upper extremities of the arms Q4 are perpendicularly disposed to constitute stops 32 for limiting the downward movement of the arms through the eyes 23a, the lower ends of the arms being doubled upon themselves downwardly below the curved fingers 25, as indicated at 30, with such doubled portions movable vertically in apertures in a guide plate 3l. By virtue of this construction the arms are maintained against accidental lateral displacement while at the same time are rendered susceptible of being quickly detached when occasion demands.

It is to be understood that if found desirable, a spring may be applied to the detent in order to render action of the same more positive.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a stop mechanism for wool combing machines, the combination of a rotary shaft, fixed and loose belt pulleys mounted on the shaft, a cam also mounted on the shaft, belt shipper mechanism, a detent engaging the belt shipper mechanism, a trip member mounted independently of the cam and detent and having a turning movement into and out of an operative position between the said cam and detent, the trip member also having a sliding movement under theV influence of the cam and against the detent to disengage the latter from the shipper mechanism, and means for turning the trip member into operative relation to both the cam and the detent by and upon the failure of the sliver.

2. 1n a stop mechanism for wool combing machines, the combination of belt shipper mechanism, a detent engaging the belt shipper mechanism, a movable support, a trip member carried by and movable with said support, the trip member being movable relative to the support and against the detent to disengage the same from the shipper mechanism, trip actuating mechanism for moving' the trip member relative to the support, the trip member being normally held by the support in an inoperative position, and means for moving the support by and upon the failure of the sliver, to bring the trip member into operative relation to both the actuating means and the detent.

3. 1n a stop mechanism for wool combing machines, the combination of a rotary shaft, a shipper rod, a detent engaging the shipper rod, a movable support, a trip member carried by and movable with said support, the trip member being movable relative to the support and against the detent to disengage the same from the shipper rod, actuating means disposed on the shaft for effecting the relative movement of the trip member, the trip member being normally supported in an inoperative position, and means controlled by the sliver for moving the support by and upon the breakage of the sliver, to bring the trip member in an operative relation to both the actuating means and the detent.

et. A stop mechanism for wool combing machines including belt shipper mechanism, a detent engaging the belt shipper mechanism, a trip member, trip actuating means', the trip member being movable into and out of an operative position between the actuating means and the detent, and means for moving the trip member into operative relation to both the actuating means and the detent, by and upon the breakage of the sliver, the trip member having a folding section adapted to afford clearance for the actuating means to render the stop mechanism inoperative when desired.

5. ln a machine of the character described the combination of a main shaft, a belt for driving the main shaft, shipper mechanism for controlling the belt, a detent for engaging the shipper mechanism, a rock shaft provided with an outstanding post, a Vtrip member connected'to 'the post, trip actuating means disposed on the main shaft, the trip member being normally supported in inoperative relation to both the actuating means and the detent, and means controlled by the sliver for turning the rock shaft by and upon the breakage of the sliver, to move the trip member into an operative position, whereby to trip the detent and release the shipper mechanism.

6. 1n a machine of the character described the combination of a main shaft, a belt for driving the main shaft, shipper mechanism for controlling the belt, a detentfor engaging the shipper mechanism, a rock shaft provided With an outstanding stud, a trip member slidingly connected to the stud and adapted to be moved against the detent to trip the same, a spring for yieldingly supporting the trip member on the stud, trip actuating means disposed on the main shaft, the trip member being normally arranged in inoperative relation to the actuating means, and means controlled by the sliver for turning the rock shaft by and upon the breakage of the sliver, to move the trip member into an operative position.

7. ln a machine of the character described the combination of a main shaft, a belt for driving the main shaft, shipper mechanism for controlling the belt, a detent for engaging the shipper mechanism, a rock shaft, a trip member carried by the rock shaft, trip actuating means disposed on the main shaft, the trip member being normally supported in inoperative relation to both the actuating means and the detent, a supporting' rod outstanding from the rock shaft, and an arm connected to the supporting rod and normally supported upon the sliver, the arm being arranged to effect the turning of the rock shaft by and upon the breakage of the sliver, to move the trip member into an operative position.

8. ln a machine of the character described the combination of a main shaft, a belt for driving' the main shaft, shipper mechanism .for control-ling the belt, a detent engaging the shipper mechanism, a rock shaft, a trip member carried by the rock shaft, trip actuating means disposed on the main shaft, the trip member being normally supported in inoperative relation to both the actuating means and the detent, a supporting rod outstanding from the rock shaft and terminating in an eye, means carried by the rock shaft for counterbalancing the supporting rod, and an arm inserted through the eye and designed to be supported by the sliver, the arm being arranged to depend from the supporting rod by and upon the breakage of the sliver, whereby to turn the rock shaft and move the trip member into an operative position.

9. ln a machine of the character described the combination of a main shaft, a belt for driving the main shaft, shipper mechanism for controlling the belt, a detent for engaging the shipper mechanism, a trip member adapted to be moved against the detent to trip the same and release the shipper mechanism, a cam mounted on the main shaft and adapted to actuate the trip member, the trip member being normally supported in inoperative relation to the cam, and means controlled by the sliver for moving the trip member into the path of rotation of the cam by and upon the breakage of the sliver, the trip member being provided With a hinged section adapted to be turned down to afford clearance for the cam as and for the purpose specified.

l0. In a stop mechanism for Wool combing machines, the combination of a rotary shaft, a shipper rod, a detent engaging the shipper rod, a rotatable support, a trip member carried by and rotatable with the support, the trip member having a sliding movement relative to the support and against the detent to disengage the same from the shipper rod, actuating means disposed on the shaft for effecting the sliding movement of the trip member, the support being normally held against turning movement to maintain the trip member in an inoperative position, and means for turning the support by and upon the breakage of the sliver, to bring the trip member in operative relation to both the actuating means and the detent.

11. 1n a stop mechanism for Wool comb-- ing machines, the combination of a rotary shaft, a shipper rod, a detent engaging' the shipper rod, a rotatable support, atrip member carried by and rotatable with the support, the trip member having a sliding movement relative to said support and against the detent to disengage the same from the shipper rod, actuatingmeans disposed on thc shaft for effecting the sliding movement of the trip member, a rod outstanding from the rotary shaft, means carried by the rotary shaft for counterbalancing the rod and normally maintaining the trip member in an inoperative position, an arm connected at its upper end to the said rod and doubled upon itself at its lower end with its eX- tremity outturned and supported upon the sliver, and a guide member through which the doubled portion of the arm is movable vertically, the arm being arranged to drop by and upon the breakage of the sliver, whereby to vovercome the oounterbalaneing means and turn the trip member to an operative position.

12. In an automatic stop mechanism for wool combing machines, the combination of the rook shaft 17, the hanger 23 outstanding from the rook shaft, an arm 9A; connected at its upper end to the hanger, and the guide plate 31 through which the lower end of the supporting arm has a guided vertical movement, the supporting arm having the outstanding inger 25 adapted to be supported by the sliver.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT R. WESTWELL. [L. s]

lVitnesses JOHN Gr. KELLETT, WILLIAM KNAPTON. 

